The Bucs offensive line has been a focal point of their team building strategy under general manager Jason Licht. Two of their three highest paid players on the team are on the offensive front. Those players, Tristan Wirfs and Luke Goedeke, are former first and second round picks, respectively.
The remainder of the offensive front includes another day one, and another early day two pick. Licht seems to believe what Jim Harbaugh preaches that the offensive line is the only group on offense that doesn’t require anyone else to perform well.
And that investment has paid off. Offensive line expert Brandon Thorn just released his offensive line rankings for Establish The Run, and he has Tampa Bay quite far up on his list.
Brandon Thorn Ranks Bucs OL Third in NFL
Thorn, who is well respected specifically for his analysis of offensive line play, has the Bucs third overall in the league in ranking blocking fronts. That puts them in his top tier which he qualifies as, “Legitimate path to league-best play with premium talent and no fatal structural concern.”
Bucs C Graham Barton and RG Cody Mauch – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
While he goes into further detail, his overall assessment of Tampa Bay is, “Elite LT-driven line with good RT play, strong young interior talent, and one of the cleanest five-man profiles in the league.”
Bucs Starters Provide High Floor
Offensive line play has always been described as a weak-link unit. The Bucs have done a good job of making sure their weakest link is a solid starter. Left guard Ben Bredeson has played at a league average-to-above level since arriving in 2024. Center Graham Barton has had his fair share of ups and downs since Tampa Bay selected him 26th overall that same season.
The highs have been tantalizing as Thorn notes. When discussing the team’s interior offensive line he says of the center, “Barton’s movement, body control, and run-game impact remain high-end center traits…” and references the remaining upside for the unit if Barton’s processing and pass-off timing improve (among other things).
I agree on both fronts I have recently profiled both Bredeson and Barton, finding similar ceilings and floors for the two players.
Bucs LG Ben Bredeson – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
Transparently, other measures find a lower floor for Barton, giving a greater weight to his lows. Since 2024, he is in the 13th percentile for pressure rate allowed 17th percentile for pass block grade (snap weighted by season) and 17th percentile for run block grade from player grading website Pro Football Focus. Thorn has publicly disagreed with their grading methods on several occasions.
Bucs Tackle Duo Remains Elite
While the Barton and Bredeson provide the floor and make up the “no fatal structural concern” portion of his Tier-1 grade, it is the bookends who provide the “premium talent” portion of the equation. Thorn notes that left tackle Tristan Wirfs is in the conversation for best tackle in the NFL while making sure to give him the unique distinction of having the versatility to work on either side of the center.
As for right tackle Luke Goedeke, Thorn calls him “extremely underrated” and when paired with Wirfs they comprise one of the three best tackle tandems in the NFL. Here, PFF agrees with Thorn with Wirfs placing in the 94th percentile for pressure rate allowed, 100th percentile for pass block grade and 74th percentile for run block grade over the past two years, while Goedeke ranked in the 83rd, 70th and 70th percentiles, respectively.
Bucs RT Luke Goedeke – Photo by: Jeffrey Jones/PR
Last year, much of the Bucs’ troubles fell on an offensive line that had to deal with an incredible number of injuries. Only one starter, Barton, played all 17 games, and none of them played all 17 in their designed positions. Between Wirfs, Bredeson, Mauch and Goedeke Tampa Bay lost 32 games to injury. If the unit can sustain better health this year it should mean better play from the entirety of the offense, putting the team in good position to win their fifth division title in six years.
Thorn’s analysis is respected both inside and outside the league as he helped establish the annual OL Masterminds Summit that is attended by offensive linemen from throughout the entire league while getting them to come on his Substack channel, Trench Warfare, to discuss the intricacies to their technique. He is a must follow if you are a fan of the game and want to learn more about offensive line play specifically.